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Senior Seishiro Hokazono has always seen America as the land of opportunity, a world where the darndest things can happen. This vision proved true in the Sept. 13 student council elections, when Hokazono became the first foreign born elected to office in the student government at FHS.
“I just run to third period and say: Yeah! I won!” said Hokazono of his victory.
Although Hokazono was not elected student body president when he ran last year, the loss only a motivated him to run for office again this year.
“I love last year, right?-and I still want to (run this year),” said Hokazono.
Some students voted for Hokazono because of his positive reputation, while others appreciated his enthusiasm and the issues that he addressed in his campaign.
“He’s such an outgoing person that I though he deserved it … because he’s run for office before and not gotten it,” said senior Jennifer Stebbins. “He’s very friendly and I’m always impressed because he remembers everybody’s name. He’s exuberant. No one thinks badly of Seishiro. Everyone loves him.”
Three years ago, it might have been difficult for Hokazono to see himself holding office in the student government of an American school. When his father was offered a job as a translator for Semi-Tool in 1995, a window to the West opened for Hokazono and his family, who previously lived in Atsugi, Kanagawa, a city of 200,000 in southern Japan.
In July 1996, after 16 hours of travel, the Hokazonos stepped off a Horizon Air puddle-jumper into Kalispell, where they would have to cope with the language and cultural barriers of a town half a world away from home.
The first problem, however, was overcoming jet lag.
“The first three weeks my head was so dizzy,” said Hokazono. “Everywhere I go, I don’t know where I went. I don’t remember at all for first three weeks. But I knew I was going to have fun…and I am.”
Although Hokazono had had some exposure to American culture through television, nothing could have prepared him for the challenges that lay ahead.
“I used to watch Footloose in Japan,” said Hokazono. “It’s about high school life. I just imagine in America it should be like that. It was very different.”
Besides the cultural differences, the language also proved to be a difficult barrier to overcome. In Japan, English teachers know the grammar but are unable to speak English.
“I don’t think any English classes can help at all,” said Hokazono. “We don’t have many (English) teachers who speak English in Japan.”
Hokazono knew no one in the community when he arrived in Kalispell and he wanted some way to get in touch with the students he would be learning with before the start of the school year.
He decided to play football “so I could make friends before school starts,” said Hokazono. “I’m not really good at football. That cause some problem. The team is doing good. I like that. That’s the way it should be.”
Hokazono first became interested in another school related activity — student council — during the election campaigns of his sophomore year.
“I didn’t know what exactly they do,” said Hokazono. “I have some idea but not whole idea. I wanted to get in more with school. I wanted to know what kind of people was there in student council and wanted to do something good for school so I went for position.”
Now, after two years of living in America, Hokazono is trying to get an extension for his five year visa.
“It’s better life in this Kalispell,” said Hokazono. “Tend to have more better people. I think American education, it’s better than Japanese. I’m (going to pursue) higher education in America, not Japan. The people (here) are more friendly, open, wide-minded. People enjoy life more than Japanese people. I just love America.”
“That’s about it. I love America. Is still a new world for me . . . still land of opportunity for me.”
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